Part of the regular maintenance of a bicycle or motorcycle includes periodically applying a lubricant to the drive chain. A common way of accomplishing this is to place a lubricant drip-container with its discharge opening above the chain, and then to move the chain along its normal path of travel while the lubricant is dispensed from the container directly onto the chain. One of the problems with this standard practice is that it is difficult to apply the lubricant uniformly to each chain link above the bushings, where the lubricant is needed. Another drawback is that a portion of the lubricant tends to pass through the chain and drop on the floor below, or onto parts of the bicycle, such as the rear wheel or tire. Yet another drawback with using lubricant drip-containers is the time it takes to lubricate each link in the chain. A second common way of lubricating a drive chain is to spray lubricant through a tube connected to an aerosol dispenser and applying the contents onto the chain while the chain is moved along its normal path of travel. This latter standard practice is easier and faster than drip-container application, but results in overspray of the lubricant onto the vehicle frame and wheels.
The majority of prior art drive chain lubricant applicators purport to both clean the chain and lubricate it. Some of these applicators use an oil reservoir that the chain is directed through, and the oil serves as both a cleaning solvent and a lubricant, resulting in the use and contamination of much more oil than is actually needed to lubricate the chain. Other cleaning/lubricant applicators use brushes without oil reservoirs, which may dislodge contaminants but may not remove them. High manufacturing cost is a major disadvantage of the majority of existing lubricant applicators claiming to both clean and lubricate the chain. These applicators include many intricate parts that must be assembled prior to use. The large number of parts and the concomitant assembly requirements substantially increase manufacturing costs.
Several examples of drive chain lubricant applicators disclosed in the art and problems associated with these drive chain lubricant applicators are provided as follows.
Thalmann (U.S. Pat. No. 4,593,923) discloses a reservoir that is attached to a bicycle such that as the sprocket chain advances, it passes through the reservoir, which contains a solvent as well as brushes to clean the chain. Chiarelli (U.S. Pat. No. 4,578,120) provides a sprocket chain cleaner in which the reservoir is provided with rotary brushes that are turned by the sprocket chain, wherein the reservoir contains either a solvent or a lubricant. Pesl (U.S. Pat. No. 6,257,369) describes an apparatus for cleaning and lubricating drive chains, in particular motorcycle drive chains, that includes brushes attached in a two-piece housing that must be assembled around the drive chain and secured to the motorcycle. The practical drawbacks to the Thalmann, Chiarelli, and Pesl schemes is that all require attachment to the motorcycle or bicycle, hence each time the applicator is put to use it must be bolted or otherwise secured to the vehicle and then later detached therefrom. These devices also have a large number of parts, which therefore increases their manufacturing costs. The Chiarelli scheme uses more lubricant than is actually needed to lubricate the chain, which emerges wet, thereby allowing dirty solvent and/or lubricant to drip on surfaces near the vehicle.
Barbieri (U.S. Pat. No. 6,942,409) describes a bicycle chain cleaner with several rotary brushes: one each in a two-piece, hinged housing that encloses the drive chain and attaches to an aerosol dispenser. Manning (U.S. Pat. No. 4,783,186) describes a sprocket chain cleaner that uses opposing brushes formed by strong, flexible bristles, such as nylon bristles, capable of forcefully scrubbing the advancing sprocket chain. Hoenselaar (U.S. Pat. No. 5,020,637) discloses a lubricant applicator that is an open ring fitted to an aerosol dispenser with three brushes, spaced apart from one another inside the ring at an angular distance of approximately one-third of a circle. Practical drawbacks to the Barbieri, Manning, and Hoenselaar schemes include multiple parts, brushes that must be cleaned periodically, and their practical use is limited to aerosol dispensed lubricants.
Masonek (U.S. Pat. No. 5,213,180) is a lubricant applicator for a drive chain having a housing with interior flexible plastic bristles. The Masonek apparatus must be secured around the sprocket chain and secured to the vehicle frame, requiring assembly and disassembly as well as periodic cleaning of the plastic bristles.
Other liquid applicators are disclosed in the following documents. Hinsdale (U.S. Pat. No. 1,021,522) is a dispensing applicator for free-flowing liquid comprising a container and a cup with a liquid-tight container seal opposite the cup, and a permanently-mounted sponge in the cup, that is in communication with the interior of the container. Rigney (U.S. Pat. No. 2,820,234) is a dishwashing tool having a flexible container with a valve-closure that includes an adhesive-mounted sponge that absorbs detergent as the container is compressed in the hand of the user. Gilchrist et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 3,148,401) and Kohler (U.S. Pat. No. 4,201,491) disclose a liquid applicator with an adhesive-mounted sponge that is particularly applicable to applying shoe polish. Practical drawback to the Hinsdale, Rigney and Gilchrist applicators, when used for applying cleaning solvent and lubricant to drive chains, are accelerated wear due to drive chain abrasion as the chain moves across the sponge, and sponges that cannot be replaced when worn or clogged. Yager et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,597,255), Chow et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,961,662), Hobbs (U.S. Pat. No. 4,008,968), and Van Esley (U.S. Pat. No. 2,742,660) disclose liquid applicators having replaceable sponges with laminated molded-plastic backing parts. The laminated backing adds to the manufacturing cost of the replaceable part because an additional part, and assembly of the two parts, is required.
The usual method of applying the lubricant is a direct manual operation of discharging the lubricant from the container directly onto the chain. There is a long-felt need for a low-cost chain lubricant applicator that facilitates the usual method for applying lubricant directly to the chain, but with application improvements that include ease-of-use, accuracy and speed, and that also prevents dripping, overspray, and the need for tool clean-up or disassembly.